‘In the beginning of Thamma, he’s a common man like all of us. At the end of the film, he’s a sexy beast!’
IMAGE: Ayushmann Khurrana and Shraddha Kapoor at the Thamma trailer launch. Photograph: Panna Bandekar
Friday’s pouring rain didnt keep the fans away from the Thamma trailer launch in Mumbai.
The Ayushmann Khurrana-Rashmika Mandanna starrer vampire comedy is described as a ‘bloody love story’, which takes forward the newly christened Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU).
But the evening wasn’t just about Thamma.
IMAGE: Shraddha Kapoor at the Thamma trailer launch. Photograph: Panna Bandekar
Shraddha Kapoor, who plays the OG character in the Stree franchise, arrived in a signature Stree look styled red sari and a long braid.
Shraddha announced that the Stree franchise will expand with the animated feature Choti Stree, which will explore her character’s backstory.
The animated film will blend into the upcoming Stree 3, which is slated for a 2027 release.
IMAGE: Maddock Films CEO Dinesh Vijan, Co-Producer Amar Kaushik, Co-Writer Niren Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor at the Thamma trailer launch. Photograph: Panna Bandekar
Thamma is the fifth installment in the ever-expanding MHCU which kicked off with Amar Kaushik’s Stree in 2018.
It was followed by Bhediya, Munjya, and last year’s blockbuster Stree 2. Munjya helmer Aditya Sarpotdar returns to direct Thamma.
Dinesh Vijan, the man behind the universe, laid out the future plan of his enterprise.
“There are going to be two more characters that will be introduced,” he revealed.
“Thamma will carry the next announcement of what’s releasing the following year. Six months after the release of Thamma, Shakti Shalini and Chamunda will arrive. After that, we will go to the second part (of Thamma),” Dinoo declared.
“It’s time to forget Hollywood universes because we have our very own desi horror-comedy universe!” exclaimed Shraddha.
Rashmika sent her wishes via a video message from Sicily, where she’s currently filming Maddock’s Cocktail 2, which reportedly stars Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon.
IMAGE: Ayushmann Khurrana and Shraddha Kapoor at the Thamma trailer launch. Photograph: Panna Bandekar
Ayushmann said he had been worried about the rains, but it stopped the moment Shraddha arrived.
While the other guests on stage called this “divine intervention”, Shraddha took wordplay on Thamma as she sweetly spoke in her mother’s native Marathi.
“I simply said, Thamba Thamba, Stree aali (take a pause, Stree is here) and it stopped.”
“I love you Shraddha!” one excited fan shouted.
Her response left everyone laughing: “Aapko pata hain na mere papa kaun hain? (Do you know who my father is?)”
IMAGE: Ayushmann Khurrana and Shraddha Kapoor at the Thamma trailer launch. Photograph: Panna Bandekar
The Thamma trailer unveils yet another fantastical being with Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s character, Yakshasan, leader of the community of vampires called Betaals.
Rashmika plays Tadaka, a mysterious woman with superhuman strength.
She crosses paths with Ayushmann’s character Alok, an ordinary man who turns into a vampire, horrifying his parents, played by Paresh Rawal and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma.
The trailer also teases Varun Dhawan’s return as his werewolf character from Bhediya and features Nora Fatehi’s dance number.
Ayushmann said he is “doubly excited” because he always wanted to be a part of MHCU and Thamma marks his first Diwali release.
“I am glad I am a part of the Maddock universe after my brother (Aparshakti, who starred in Stree and Stree 2). It has become a family affair now. It is the most sought-after universe in the history of Indian cinema,” Ayushmann said.
“There is more comedy and less horror (in the film). It is a family entertainer. It’s really exciting and new to me.”
IMAGE: Niren Bhatt, Amar Kaushik, Dinesh Vijan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Shraddha Kapoor, Aditya Sarpotdar at the Thamma trailer launch. Photograph: Panna Bandekar
Vijan, who previously collaborated with Ayushmann on Bala, declared Thamma is his “career-best performance”.
“He is usually a detached actor once he finishes the film. Bala was a character that he couldn’t let go of. He was highly emotional, which was unlike him,” Dinoo revealed.
“I have to tell you that Thamma is going to show you something that you haven’t seen before. It is his career-best performance. It is a character which has so much range. In the beginning of Thamma, he’s a common man like all of us. At the end of the film, he’s a sexy beast!”
Thamma arrives in cinemas this Diwali on October 21.
